Wednesday, February 29, 2012

This adage began life as the caption of a cartoon published by The New Yorker in 1993. It features two dogs: one sitting on a chair in front of a computer, speaking to a second dog sitting on the floor. As of 2000, the panel was the most reproduced cartoon from "The New Yorker."

Now raise your hand if you knew what the Internet was in 1993...

Initially, some argued that the cartoon marked a critical moment in Internet history, when it moved from being the exclusive domain of geeks and academics, to being a topic of general interest.

To others, the cartoon symbolizes an understanding of Internet privacy that stresses the ability of users to anonymously send and receive messages.

But what does this concept mean for you, a professional?

Simply put, on the Internet, nobody will know whether you are a two or a two hundred person operation, nor an expert with one or twenty years of experience - unless your online presentation is unprofessional.

If you have a professional looking website, use Twitter, Facebook and other social media appropriately, upload professional photos instead of candid snapshots, users will think that you are smart, current, honest and dependable.

If you are going to put yourself out there, whatever you do, it better be sharp, and classy.

3. Become a PublisherYou no longer have to wait for your local printer to print off 10,000 marketing brochures and then mail them out. Now you can write a blog post, email it to your subscribers, tweet the link to your Twitter followers, and promote it on Facebook.

4. Solve ProblemsWrite content that shows people how to fix a problem in a way that is relevant to your industry and market.5. Include Calls to ActionDon’t forget to include calls to action with your content. It could be to "subscribe", "buy", "make an appointment" or "register".

6. Talk like a HumanBeing “Authentic” is the new black.

7. Show What WorksCase studies that “show” how your product/services are used are much more effective than “telling“. 8. Have some FunNot always, but sometimes, it helps enormously to present yourself as having a sense of humor.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

IBM made a 13 minute film that features one hundred people, each of whom presents the IBM achievement recorded in the year they were born. The film chronology flows from the oldest person to the youngest, offering a whirlwind history of the company and culminating with its prospects for the future.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

"What is essential is invisible to the eye." St. Exupery wrote these lines in the Little Prince.

Almost 70 years later, I found a website that is dedicated to that proposition, the aptly named 99% Invisible.

99% describes itself as "a tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world." The show is the brainchild of broadcaster Roman Mars.

99%'s episodes, (available as podcasts), are quite simply, beautiful, as well as startlingly thought provoking.

Take episode 15: "Sounds of the Artificial World" which comes in at under 5 minutes:

"Sounds" explains that our electronic gear, from your smart phone to your laptop, is actually completely soundless. But sound is added so that we get some audio feedback when we turn on a device or press a button.

There is actually a company that does just that - make sounds for devices.